Demonstrates how to create animation in Doodly.

Animation in Doodly

There are 3 main methods of creating animation in Doodly; GIF Animations, Masking and Keyframing.
There are 2 additional methods of providing the appearance of animation; Pan and Zoom & Exit Animations.

GIF Animations

A preconfigured image that can store multiple frames within the image providing the appearance of movement. Using GIF animations properly is considered an Intermediate skill level not because it takes skill to insert a GIF animation into your doodle but because it takes skill to know how to create them and use them properly within your doodle. I’ve written an entire Doodly Tip of the Day about GIF animations so please read that and watch my Working with Images video tutorial for more information on this subject. GIF animations are the easiest method of creating animation in doodly.

Masking

An advanced skill level technique. This is the method to use if you want a single asset to move around the canvas.
This is the most time consuming method.
To understand this technique, there are a few definitions you will need to understand first.

a) Mask: A mask is an asset that looks exactly like the background. This will cover another asset at a .1s delay and a 0s duration.

b) Delay: The amount of time it takes before beginning to reveal an asset on the canvas.

c) Duration: The amount of time it takes to reveal an asset on the canvas.

d) Tween: Automatic software driven motion between one frame and location of an asset to another frame and location to provide the appearance of movement.

This technique requires:
1. A single scene
2. Lots of patience
3. Copying and pasting
4. Lots of layers

Watch my Increasing the Number of Viewable Layers in Doodly video tutorial because you’re going to need it when using this method.

Instructions

Doodly does not automatically tween between locations of assets so we must create that motion.
To start out with these instructions let’s start out with 2 assets and use the whiteboard.
1. Find an arrow.
2. Find a white background.
3. Disable Erase Mode. Watch my Smooth Fading Made Easy video tutorial to learn how to accomplish this if you are not sure. Doodly Beginner Video Tutorial: Smooth Fading Made Easy
4. Drag the arrow onto the canvas ensuring it is pointing left and drag it so just the tip of it is showing on the canvas and everything else is off the canvas. Set the delay to 0 and set the duration to 0.
5. Place the mask on top of the portion of the arrow that is showing. Set the mask for .1s delay and 0s duration.
6. Copy and paste the Arrow and move it over left very slightly. Remember, Doodly does not tween this so if you move it too far, it will just appear that that spot instead of smoothly moving to that spot but if you don’t move it far enough it will take you hundreds of layers to get the desired appearance of movement.
At this point you should have arrow, mask arrow.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 until you receive the desired new location for your arrow asset.

Now play it back with the show preview and you should see movement. Use this same concept to move anything in Doodly.

KeyFraming

An advanced technique to allow the appearance of movement. Use this method if you desire movement on the entire canvas. This involves a method of using either the delay or duration set to .1s one and the other option set to 0s. This involves one layer after another to switch to a series of images to provide the appearance of animation. Watch my Scene Transitions video tutorial as I use this method a lot in that video. All animations in that video were completed in Doodly. At the end of the tutorial portion of that video, I demonstrate and explain how to properly key frame in Doodly.

I have an entire Doodly Tip of the Day dedicated to key framing. Read that and watch the Scene Transitions video tutorial for more information on this subject.

Pan and Zoom

Pan and Zoom allow us to start at one area and pan (move left and right) from one area on the canvas to another and then tilt (move up and down) in the same fashion as pan.

This can be used to provide a pseudo movement effect. We have a video that shows how to work with the pan and zoom feature.
Doodly Beginner Video Tutorial: Pan and Zoom

Exit Animation

The exit animation is another method in Doodly to provide that WOW factor to the viewer and give them some animation. We have a dedicated video about Scene Transitions and Exit animations that teaches, in detail, all about this method.
Doodly Beginner Video Tutorial: Scene Transitions